About bravehearts day

Bravehearts Day is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the prevention of child sexual abuse. Established in 1997, the day was previously known as Bravehearts White Balloon Day.

Bravehearts Day continues the legacy of White Balloon Day, which is credited for breaking the silence around child sexual abuse and creating a cultural shift in how Australians understand and respond to child sexual abuse and survivors of this crime.

Bravehearts Day 2023 is on Wednesday 30 August. Please Show Your Heart and raise funds or donate to prevent child sexual abuse.

The History of Bravehearts Day

White Balloon Day was started by Bravehearts in 1997 following a public demonstration in Belgium in 1996, when approximately 300,000 people gathered with white balloons in solidarity for the child victims of a previously convicted and released paedophile.

White Balloon Day, now Bravehearts Day, not only raises awareness of child sexual abuse and how parents and the wider community can take an active role in protecting children, the day also encourages survivors of child sexual abuse to speak out and break their silence.

In 1999, Senior Police labelled White Balloon a ‘phenomenon’ when it was revealed that the campaign resulted in a staggering 514% increase in disclosures of child sexual abuse to the Queensland Police Service that year.

White Balloon Day was renamed Bravehearts Day in 2022, due to mounting concerns about balloons being harmful to the environment.
Though it now goes by a new name, the essence of the campaign remains the same - Bravehearts Day is and always will be about breaking the silence around child sexual abuse, supporting survivors of this crime and most importantly, preventing and treating this crime.
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